


Kiss Me Senseless

by junko



Series: Senbonzakura's Song [10]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Boys Kissing, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-25
Updated: 2014-02-25
Packaged: 2018-01-13 16:44:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1233745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/junko/pseuds/junko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Renji and Byakuya meet in the sentō and Renji gets the kiss of his life-time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kiss Me Senseless

**Author's Note:**

> Kind of a dumb summary, but I bet it got your attention! Thanks to Josey who read and typo-ed and cheered me on.

By the time Renji got to the sento, undressed and showered, Byakuya was already soaking. The shoji screens were slid open to the garden view. Lanterns illuminated snow-covered stones and reeds bent into frozen, dripping arches. The darkness threw everything into sharp contrast of snowy white and midnight black.

Against such a fairy tale backdrop, Byakuya looked majestic.

 _Peerless_.

It’d been a while since that word had floated through Renji’s head, but there it was again. Byakuya’s eyes were cast down in their usual way revealing long, dark, almost-feminine lashes. His hair was unbound by kenseikan and had that rumpled, damp look that made Renji’s fingers ache to rake through the silken strands. The sensation was only made stronger by knowing how good that felt.

“Are you planning on gawking all night or will you be joining me?”

Renji chuckled. “Hey, when the view is this good it’s a tough call.”

“Indeed,” Byakuya said, his eyes coming up to roam over Renji’s body in that way they did—in a slow, lingering gaze, as if discovering the tattoos anew each time.

Giving into a yawn, Renji stretched and twisted so Byakuya could get the full view of the back as well. Even after all this time, he still thrilled to be noticed by Byakuya, to have his captain’s undivided attention.

“It’s a shame you’re leaving me again so soon,” Byakuya said with a soft sigh.

Renji slipped into the warm water. Having done a bare footed shunpo all the way here, the heat felt scalding on his soles and toes. “Yeah,” Renji agreed. “And I’m going to miss out on all the fun of taking down the Third Seat.”

“Former Third,” Byakuya corrected. 

And they were down a Twentieth Seat, too. “I’m going to have work to do when I get back, figuring out who we can promote up and whether or not we need to do a little recruiting at Academy.”

Normally, work was a safe bet conversation topic for Byakuya but, instead, he simply said, “Yes. Let’s hope all of this trouble is soon sorted.”

 _And we’re not all dead or slaves to Aizen_ , Renji translated. He sank his shoulders under the water, “Yeah.”

If work was out, did Byakuya want to talk at all? 

If he wanted Renji to fill the silence, then there was almost too much to choose from: Daisuke and the mystery of Captain Kyouraku’s involvement, the cousin’s kidnapping, the betrayals, whatever the hell was up with undead/resurrected Kaien out in the Rukongai, the rapes of the upper district women, Seichi…. And that was just stuff Byakuya was going to have to deal with once Renji left for Hueco Mundo.

For a while the only sound was the soft gurgling of the natural underground springs that fed the sento. 

After dipping his head all the way under, Renji leaned back against the lip of the pool. Byakuya was across from him, staring at the wisps of steam that rose from the water. There were little dark lines of worry under his eyes, so faint that no one else would probably even notice. But, now Renji knew what should be said: “Your cousin will be all right,” he poked his toe into Byakuya’s side. “She was headed to Academy, right?”

“To be a scientist,” Byakuya said.

“Oh, right,” Renji said, his hope deflating a little. “Still, she’s a Kuchiki. She can shoot the baddies that patented icy glare and zap! Dead meat.”

Looking up from the water finally, Byakuya gave him a glance that was very reminiscent of what Renji was describing, “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but you’re only exacerbating my worries.”

“Sorry,” Renji said sincerely. Still, the woman wouldn’t be completely unarmed, would she? Hell, he had no idea if ladies of that kind of pedigree were allowed anything besides poetry and calligraphy. Renji stretched out, propping his legs up beside Byakuya’s side. “What’s she like, then, your cousin?”

Byakuya chewed on his lower lip thoughtfully. “I’ve no idea. Last I saw her she was tiny, no more than a babe in arms.”

Ah, that was the problem. Byakuya had that small, helpless little girl pictured in his head. Well, there wasn’t much for that. Sometimes Renji still thought of Rukia that way, like a runty barefooted scamp, running through the back alleys--but, then, Rukia could always kick his ass, even back then. Their age gap wasn’t nearly so wide, either. So, it was different for them.

On the other hand, Renji knew exactly how if felt to fail onii-chan.

“Why don’t you come over here?” Renji suggested. “Sit…” he wanted to say ‘in his lap,’ but he didn’t figure Byakuya’d go for that, “…with me. I could put arm around you.”

“That will help Hirako how?”

If it were anyone else, Renji would say, ‘you can lean on me, take a bit of my strength for a moment, let me shoulder the pain at least,’ but Byakuya would only be insulted. 

“It won’t,” Renji admitted, giving Byakuya another little poke with his toe. “I was just lookin’ for a little cuddle.”

With a smile, Byakuya said, “Selfish cur.”

“That’s me to the core,” Renji agreed with a wicked grin. Then, deciding ‘nothing ventured’ he added, “C’mere, sit in my lap.”

Dark eyebrows rose, but that was, to Renji’s great surprise, the only protest as Byakuya glided over and straddled Renji. Byakuya put his arms around Renji’s shoulders. He was so close, Renji had to tip his head back to look up at him.

Renji really wanted to slip his arms around that taut waist and squeeze Byakuya tightly and maybe suck hard on one of those nipples right there in his face until Byakuya squirmed and screamed. 

But, this was Byakuya, who, frankly, had compromised a ton lately—so, instead Renji lifted his arms out of the water and spread them out along the lip of the pool. A no touch compromise, but Renji could hardly complain. It was plenty to feel Byakuya spread for him, especially in the water where they slowly bumped against each other buoyantly. 

Long-boned fingers smoothed thick, wet strands of hair from Renji’s eyes, “It’s a good thing you prefer that ridiculous topknot.” Hands trailed down the sides of Renji’s face and then drew his face up. “Or I would suffer greater difficulty resisting you.”

Byakuya dipped his head down and their lips met in a kiss. Wet strands of Byakuya’s hair tickled Renji’s cheeks, as he tasted sleep and the metallic tang of worry on Byakuya’s tongue. The kiss was urgent, but underneath there was a layer of deliberation and control—as if Byakuya didn’t want to give in yet, to make the moment last.

Renji didn’t mind. Kissing was his favorite thing to do. Slow or fast, it didn’t matter much, especially when Byakuya was like this—in charge, on top, but vulnerable, too. Even though the water was far too hot for his body to respond, Renji’s mind reeled with the arousing image of Byakuya at this moment, kneeling with his legs wrapped around him and that proud head bowed… even if the whole pose possessed Renji completely.

In fact, the kiss was becoming almost punishing. 

Byakuya’s hands on Renji’s face were strong and his fingers pressed bruisingly into jaw. His tongue was so deep and demanding that Renji had a hard time keeping up and catching his breath. Renji’s fingers curled on the lip of the pool straining under the onslaught of this devouring kiss. But, he couldn’t keep his body from floating up to press between Byakuya’s legs and grinding weakly there.

When Byakuya finally released him, Renji was sure his eyes were glazed with admiration, lust, and… surrender. 

Byakuya seemed pleased with this result as he dipped his head even lower to whisper in Renji’s ear, “I’ll miss you.”

“Murghle,” Renji said, which was really supposed to be ‘fuck, I love you so fucking much, oh my fucking god; do that again!’ but Byakuya’s kiss seemed to have melted his brain and stolen his ability to speak.

Byakuya laughed lightly, his fingers entwining in Renji’s hair. Renji’s mouth opened, begging for another one of those breathtaking kisses. But, Byakuya’s seemed more intent on Renji’s hair—catching in its snarls and pulling through roughly in a way that made Renji ache for restraints and ties and commanding touches.

He must’ve moaned a little at that thought because Byakuya chuckled darkly again and nipped sharply at the soft flesh of Renji’s ear, as if able to read his mind. But, just in case he couldn’t Renji growled, “When I come back, I want you to press me up against a wall or a couch or something and ride me hard. You can restrain me with kido as long as the fucking is slow and torturous, like that one morning, only… more…. And kiss me like that again and again until I die.”

Fuck, did that even make sense? Did Byakuya know the morning Renji meant, where he’d woken up tied down and Byakuya had mounted him?

Byakuya must have, because the fingers that had moved to tracing tattoo lines paused only for the briefest of moments before resuming their caress. A bite, hard enough to draw blood on his ear and cause Renji to let out a hissing grunt, and then a firm, if whispered: “Very well.”

Oh, dear god, Renji would strangle Aizen with his own hands to have that.

“I only wish that could be now,” Byakuya said, making Renji whine pathetically when he pulled away.

Renji wanted to beg him to stay and give it a try right this moment, yes, now, but it was clear the water and the passion were overheating both of them. Byakuya’s face was flushed and, where he’d stayed under the water, his beautiful pale skin had reddened uncomfortably. Honestly, any more of this and Renji was going to get lightheaded.

“Yeah,” Renji agreed sadly. After letting Byakuya untangle himself, Renji hauled himself up out of the water. “But now I have something to dream about in Hueco Mundo.”

“Please keep your mind on the task at hand,” Byakuya admonished, as he slid shut the shoji screens. “You’re not the most focused fighter at the best of times. I’ll not have you die, thinking of me.”

Ouch. Yet, only Byakuya could make Renji feel warm and loved with such an insult. “Yeah, well, try not to have too much fun ripping Miisho a new one, eh?”

Byakuya frowned at Renji’s rudeness. Handing Renji a towel, he said tersely, “I’ll do my best.”

“Heh,” Renji smiled, rubbing his hair dry before starting on the rest. “I wish I could see that. Watching you fight is always such a pleasure.”

“Really?” Byakuya drawled as he padded towards the locker room. “And here I always thought you were annoyed when I stepped in.”

“Yeah, when it’s on my toes,” Renji smiled, following after, and resisting the urge to twist the towel into a whip. Even at his most playful and bending, Renji was pretty sure Byakuya would not appreciate a stinging smack on the butt with a wet towel.

Though, honestly, it was hard to know. Sometimes Renji thought maybe the reason Byakuya liked him was because he was stupid enough to try stunts like that.

When no one else dared.

“I’m glad I did,” Byakuya said, finding his basket of things in the cubby and shaking out his kosode. “You let Zabimaru play too much with his food. Striking hard and fast was what was needed with someone like Kurosaki.”

Who could power-up at any random moment, true. But, Renji couldn’t resist, “Yeah, so how’d that go for you in your one-on-one with him, eh?”

It was a testimony to their relationship that Byakuya merely sighed. “I fail to see what Rukia finds so appealing about that one.”

“She always did have a thing for the gangster ty—“ At Byakuya sudden glare, Renji’s voice slipped up an octave and he suddenly shifted to, “I mean, young thugs with a bad attitude--” That only seemed to narrow Byakuya’s eyes further and maybe sounded like he and Rukia had done something so Renji raised his hands in surrender, “No, no! I mean, how should I know? She’s never been with a man in her life. Super virgin, that’s my Rukia!”

Byakuya seemed to be trying to contain a scowl as he continued to shake the wrinkles from his clothes in a way that made Renji think he was lucky he wasn’t the fabric. “I suppose I should be grateful that this one, at least, isn’t married.”

Renji relaxed a little at that. Turning to his own basket of clothes, said, “Yeah, but still Shiba. Man, as if I ever had a chance. She seems to not only like the noble ones but from just the one clan… If Ichigo is a bust, you suppose she’ll be looking at that Ganju guy like, ‘hey, how you doing?’”

Having shouldered into his undershirt, Renji realized Byakuya was not just silent, but utterly still, as if frozen. 

Glancing over, Renji backed off that last bit fast, “I mean, obviously, she has better taste. Rukia’d never go for a guy who kind of looks like a goat and has a pig for a bestie. Though do you ever wonder about that? I mean look at Lady Yoruichi? She’s one of your True First, what if the pig is just part of the weird Shiba farm magic… ”

What was wrong with his mouth, anyway? Renji closed it firmly and considered putting a hand over it to stop the stupid.

Thankfully, Byakuya seemed to have focused on only one part of all the things Renji had said, “Why do you say Shiba? Kurosaki is just a troublesome human.”

Obviously, Ichigo was way more than that. “Uh…”

Was it a secret? Ichigo’s dad?

But, Renji didn’t seem to have to say, Byakuya guessed. “I said he looked too much like Kaien, I said. Ukitake did, too. But, Rukia claimed it was just a coincidence. Did she know?”

Renji sure as shit didn’t want to throw Rukia under the bus, but it wasn’t like he could lie to Byakuya. “She stayed at Ichigo’s house. I don’t know how she wouldn’t recognize Captain Shiba. I only ever saw the guy once and I knew him right away. He ain’t changed much. He might be Dr. Kurosaki now, but he still goes by Isshin.”

Still running a Shiba-esque charity, too. It was so like that clan to have a clinic in some down and out human neighborhood. 

“I see,” Byakuya said. After slowly and carefully tying up his shitagi, Byakuya said, “She was wise to say nothing. If Central had found out that she’d transferred her powers to the son of an outlaw, it would hardly have mattered that it was all part of Aizen’s plot.”

Renji hadn’t considered that part. 

“Who else knows about Captain Shiba and his connection to Kurosaki?”

Renji lifted his shoulder. “If Captain Hitsugaya and Lieutenant Matsumoto know, they didn’t tell me.”

“And yet they must,” Byakuya said tersely. “He was their captain.”

“Yeah,” Renji agreed, feeling sort of stupid. He tied up his own shirt and reached for the kosode. “I guess that’s why I thought it was one of them open secret things. Yumichika and Ikkaku might have figured it out, too, though I don’t know why they’d give a fuck.”

“They wouldn’t,” Byakuya agreed. “If it’s only those loyal to Shiba and ourselves who know, then I don’t see any reason for it to go further, do you?”

Wait, was Captain Law and Order telling Renji to just forget about an outlaw hiding in the Human World?

“At least until after the war with Aizen is decided,” Byakuya added, as if as an afterthought.

“Right,” Renji nodded. “No point rocking the boat with a shitstorm coming.”

“Yes, my thoughts exactly.”

Wow. Renji had already been in love with the unbending, uncompromising version of Byakuya, and he’d known Byakuya had changed, but…. Just wow. “You know I love you so much right now, don’t you?”

“Please, Renji. Don’t make me regret my decision.”

“Sorry,” Renji said. “But I do, you know.”

“Yes. I know. Now get dressed.”

#

As they made their way back to the estate in the breaking dawn, Byakuya seemed to be in a better mood. Or, at least he was willing to talk about Division business again. “My family has no liaison,” Byakuya considered as they stepped around muddy runlets of melting snow. “And the estate is missing its liaison as well?”

“Yeah,” Renji said. “I’ve got the Fourth Seat on the first bit, but she’s got a steep learning curve and… well, her pedigree is military not noble.”

“At this point,” Byakuya said, “my main requirement for any duty involving my family is loyalty to me.” 

“Nanako’s got that, don’t you worry,” Renji assured him. “I don’t know who the hell we’re going to pull up out of the unseated, but we’ll find somebody. It ain’t that hard to coordinate patrols and it’s not like your bodyguards don’t have a good captain.”

“See that it’s done before you go.” Byakuya said, “I won’t leave the estate so long as it remains vulnerable.”

“Hai, Taicho.” Fuck, Richiki would do in a pinch. He was loyal and he took direction well. Plus, he’d be thrilled to be seated, finally. He deserved it. The kid was kind of a hanger-on, but he was brave. Renji owed him his life, really. 

They approached the front of the estate. Eishirō met Byakuya in the courtyard with a cloaky-blanket thing for his shoulders. Renji was surprised to see Aio coming with one for him, as well. He accepted it with an awkward exchange of bows, but a sincere, “Thanks.”

Pulling it around himself, Renji noticed the thick cotton had been heated. To think he was leaving amenities like this to chase after Rukia’s crazy-ass boyfriend; he must be out of his mind. 

“Tea is waiting, my lord,” Eishirō said. “Breakfast is on its way.”

“We will take it in the library.”

The library? Renji glanced at Aio at the same time she hazarded a peek in his direction. Their eyes met only to jump away guilty. 

_Then again, leaving had its advantages_ , Renji thought feeling his ears burning in shame.

“Is there anything else I should be aware of before you leave?” Byakuya asked, cutting though Renji’s darkening mood.

“I couldn’t exactly cover my shifts, since I’ll technically be AWOL.”

“Yes, of course. I can take yours until the Fourth has time to rearrange things,” Byakuya said. 

Leaving their shoes in the entryway, they stepped up into the estate.

Following a pace behind, Renji raised his eyebrows at Byakuya’s offer to pull doubles like that. Maybe Byakuya figured he needed the work to distract him from his family. “But, ain’t you going to be out in the Rukongai kicking ass?”

“Not immediately,” Byakuya reminded him, as he led the way to the library. “I want to be certain before I strike.”

Right. Yeah, then Byakuya really was going to need something to keep from climbing the walls until he got word from Daisuke. “Makes sense.”

Renji had no idea why Byakuya’d picked the library for breakfast until Byakuya led him further deeper into that winding, book-filled room than Renji had ever ventured before. They stopped in a sunny, but secluded corner where there was a curious contraption. It looked like a table someone had thrown a comforter over.

Byakuya gestured for Renji to sit, but Renji wasn’t quite sure how to until he watched Byakuya lift the comforter and slide his feet down into some kind of depression in the floor. Lifting the comforter on his side, Renji could see that there was space underneath for his legs and something warm and glowing far underneath in an even deeper depression in the floor.

“A kotatsu,” Byakuya explained. “I forget you would never have had the pleasure. Ironic, then, I suppose, that my great-grandfather resisted its addition as too ‘rustic’ for the library. Truthfully, this was my favorite place in the winter as a child.”

Renji could see why. Underneath the blanket, his legs could stretch out towards the heat source. His feet, cold from the short walk from the sento, started warming immediately. 

“I would crawl all the way under and sit with just my head peeking out under the table and read,” Byakuya continued, as Eishirō arrived with tea.

“If we ever couldn’t find his lordship,” Eishirō agreed fondly as he set down the tray, “This is where he would be.”

Renji got the sense from the twinkle in Eishirō’s eye that maybe he still often found Byakuya ‘hiding’ here. Renji asked, “What heats it?”

“Kidō infused stones,” Byakuya explained. “It used to be charcoal embers like the irori in the master bedroom, but after a fire nearly destroyed the entirety of my grandmother’s original musical compositions, an alternative was introduced.”

“Pardon the interruption,” Eishirō said, when Byakuya was finished. “But, Lady Rukia is wondering if she could join your lordship.”

Byakuya gave Renji a look that expressed his disappointment at not having alone time. But, Renji shrugged that it was okay; after all, they’d had their moment in the sento. Besides, Rukia knew about them. It wasn’t like she wouldn’t give them a chance to kiss goodbye, if they wanted.

“Very well. As long as the other Lady Kuchiki doesn’t get wind of our breakfast party,” Byakuya said dryly, “I don’t see why not.”

“I shall have Rukia-sama exercise discretion, my lord.”

Byakuya nodded absently as he poured tea for Renji and then himself. “Do you really think Rukia has a ‘thing’ for Shiba?”

 _No more than you do for Inuzuri strays_ , Renji thought but didn’t say. Instead, he sipped his tea and considered. Cupping the bowl in his hands to warm them, he said, “Eh, Kaien was the cute one. I think maybe the Shiba are just lucky they made another that hot.”

Byakuya stifled what sounded like a wicked chuckle until it came out kind of a cough. “Indeed.”

Renji smiled and would have made a further jab at the Shiba clan to see if he could elicit a real laugh, except Eishirō announced Rukia’s arrival from the front part of library, giving Byakuya and Renji time to get to their feet. Renji almost didn’t make it out from the covers in time as it was, what with the awkward clambering that nearly pulled the comforter and the tea tray to the floor.

Still looking like he was having a hell of a time suppressing a smile, Byakuya shook his head at Renji’s gracelessness. Lovingly, he murmured, “My big ape.”

When Renji tugged on a long lock of hair bashfully, he realized he hadn’t tied it up yet. 

Rukia smiled brightly seeing them and the tea on the kotatsu. “Can we open the screens, nii-sama? It’s so beautiful outside.”

Byakuya’s lips were thin and Renji was pretty sure he held back a shiver, but he nodded. “Let me get back under the blankets, then you may.”

Following Byakuya’s lead, Renji got himself resituated. The air that rushed in was crisp, but the bright sun was already melting much of the snow that had fallen last night. The garden, however, was a sight. The brightness of the snow was almost blinding where it draped the branches of the large cedar tree and covered the ground. The small water feature must be fed by the same spring as the sento, because only the edges had ice, and steam rose from the surface in wisps. A solitary red-crowned crane hunted near the shore, only a few feet away.

Rukia clung to the door, watching the large bird with wide eyes. She whispered, “Oh, nii-sama, Renji, look!”

Its long neck popped up and it cocked its head in their direction, then, unfurling its massive wings, it took to the air in loping bounds. 

Rukia watched it circle slowly in the air and resettle on a top cedar branch. The snow fell from the needles in a clump, sparkling in the bright sun. With a soft, happy sigh, she made her way over to the kotatsu and tucked herself under like a pro. She sat so she could see out into the garden. Byakuya handed her a bowl of tea. She nodded a bow and said a very polite, “Thank you.”

Watching her, Renji wondered if he could have ever made a transformation like she had—street rat to noble. He wasn’t sure if any amount of training could have risen him up high enough to pass. 

“It should be cold enough for you in Hueco Mundo,” Byakuya said. “Though I’ve given Renji cloaks for the two of you.”

Rukia’s eyes widened in appreciation, “Oh, nii-sama, you didn’t have to do that!”

“I also insist you take the family senkaimon,” Byakuya continued. 

She looked ready to protest, but since Renji’d preferred it, too, he jumped in with, “Hey, how’d your captain take the news you were skipping out on him?”

Rukia sniffed, a perfect little Kuchiki aloof noise: “Captain Ukitake understands the value in aiding Ichigo.”

Renji laughed and jabbed a finger at her, “Plus, he knew you’d go with or without permission.”

She smiled guiltily, “And there is that.”

Byakuya sipped his tea thoughtfully. After a brief glance at Renji, Byakuya said, “Did we tell you we had a surprise visit from Ukitake’s partner last night?”

Rukia gave Renji a little glance, too, and raised her eyebrows suggestively, as if to ask, ‘we?’ 

To which Renji shrugged, like ‘D’uh,’ and then blew a bit of hair from his face before taking a sip of the tea. “Yeah, seems the Eighth has some interest in your brother’s teahouse.” Then, because the thought was never far from Renji’s mind, he added, “What the hell do they do at the Eighth, anyway?”

“Meddle,” Byakuya said tersely.

“No, seriously,” Renji said, “I have never, ever met an officer from the Eighth who wasn’t the captain or his lieutenant. I think that whole place is a front.”

“For what, pray tell? A drug cartel?” Byakuya asked dryly. “This is the Gotei, Renji, not the Human World.”

“Yeah, but, Taicho, have we ever seen anyone from there do… anything? Ever?” Renji asked.

“I’m sure someone has,” Byakuya said, frowning into his tea. “Rukia, the Thirteenth and the Eighth cooperate all the time, do they not?”

Rukia, who’d been watching their back and forth intently, seemed surprised to be called on. “Oh, well, mostly that just means Captain Kyouraku is… er, over a lot.”

Renji snorted. “As in: sleeping over.”

Rukia blushed and Byakuya gave Renji a stern look.

“What?” Renji looked for confirmation, “Isn’t this another one of them open secret things? Is there anyone who doesn’t think those two have been together since, like, the dawn of time? Next you’re going to tell me no one knows about Ikkaku and Yumichika.”

Byakuya chuckled a little, but Rukia blinked. “I thought Ikkaku was with Keigo’s sister!”

Renji shook his head. “Yeah, that was weird. I think it’s always been kind of an open thing, because I sometimes…” Renji shut his mouth again with a snap and looked up to see Byakuya giving him a withering glance. “Er, I heard that other people could get into that action.”

“Renji, stop talking,” Byakuya said. “I refuse to be jealous of that prissy little Ayasegawa. It’s bad enough to know you harbor feelings for Lieutenant—“

“Uh, hey!” Renji said, making a grab for the teapot, “You need more tea or something, Rukia?”

But, Rukia had dissolved into a giggling fit, her mouth covered with the sleeve of her shihakushō. “Oh, Renji,” she gave him a playful push, “Everyone knows you have the hots for Hisagi and have had since Academy.”

Byakuya glanced up at that. “Oh, indeed? Everyone?”

Renji was spared trying to answer that by the arrival of breakfast. They all tried to act like they’d been discussing the weather as Aio set out baskets and plates. All it took was a look from Rukia and Renji broke. Only Byakuya managed to keep from giggling, and even he seemed to be struggling not to smile.

Thus, it surprised Renji when Rukia ducked her head in embarrassment and said, “Sorry, nii-sama.”

Didn’t she notice how charmed Byakuya was by this? 

For his part, Byakuya seemed to not know how to respond, as if he was torn between accepting her apology and excusing her. So, Renji stepped up and, picking up the serving chopsticks, said, “I got one thing to do before we leave, okay, Rukia? It won’t take long. I’m going to promote a guy and toss him into the fray.”

Picking up on Renji’s cue, Byakuya asked, “You have someone in mind for the estate’s liaison?”

“You know that kid Richiki…”

#

All too soon, breakfast was over and it was time to say good-bye. It was hard to leave the cozy comfort of the kotatsu and the easy company of Byakuya and Rukia. Though Renji really wanted to pull Rukia aside and tell her that her brother wasn’t nearly as judgmental as she seemed to think he was. Well, he probably did hold her to a higher standard, being a Kuchiki and all, but she should know he was different in private…. Shouldn’t she?

Or, maybe he wasn’t with her… 

Renji supposed Rukia had had it hard. Right after the adoption, Byakuya had probably been a rough taskmaster with all the etiquette, especially after all that he’d gone through with Hisana. But, Rukia wouldn’t have know about that, so it must have seemed like the bar was set impossibly high.

And who knew if Byakuya even did more than look in on her? 

Man, all their relationships were tangled, weren’t they? 

Finding a tie in the pocket of his hakama, Renji pulled his hair up into a bushy topknot. He ignored Byakuya’s sigh as they stood at the door, neither of them quite ready for the farewell. Rukia glanced up and seemed to notice the look they were giving each other and quietly said, “Oh! I’ll give you a few minutes, shall I?”

“That’d be cool,” Renji said, just as Byakuya agreed, “Yes, a moment would be fine.”

She slipped out with a little wave and said to Renji, “Meet you in what? Twenty minutes?”

“Give me thirty,” Renji said, his eyes never leaving Byakuya. “I got to stop by my quarters and get those cloaks.”

“I could get them,” she offered, and then quietly added, “So you could have more time.”

“Yeah, sure,” Renji said, knowing there wasn’t nearly enough time for the kind of goodbye he wanted from Byakuya.

Byakuya turned away, and Renji almost stumbled, realizing he’d been moving in. “When I see you again, be well, Rukia,” Byakuya said.

“I’ll try, nii-sama,” she said with a weak smile.

He nodded, but when she was out of earshot, Byakuya let out a breath. “That does not inspire me with confidence.”

“She tougher than she looks,” Renji said. “You’ve got to start believing in her.”

Byakuya frowned. “I wish you were both stronger.”

“Yeah, well, me, too,” Renji agreed. “But, we two have survived a lot already, don’t you go discounting that.”

“Hmmm, very well,” Byakuya said. “However, I suspect Hueco Mundo is far more dangerous than anything you’d find in Inuzuri.”

Renji stole a quick kiss from those lips that were pressed so thin with worry. “Yeah, no doubt,” he said, letting his hand linger on Byakuya’s jaw. “But, Inuzuri toughened our hides, sharpened our wits, and made us fighters. Both of us. But her, especially.”

Byakuya’s hand came up to encircle Renji’s wrist, and held it tightly. “Especially?”

“It ain’t no picnic being a woman in Inuzuri,” Renji said. “And our Rukia, she was always a lady.”

“I see,” Byakuya said, lifting Renji’s hand and bringing his knuckles up to kiss. “I’m glad you’ll be at her side, Renji.”

“She never needed me.”

“But I need you there,” Byakuya said.

“So, kiss me one more time, like you mean it.”

And he did.


End file.
